Immoral Purity
by NymphetamineOverdose
Summary: Sakura is married to her true love...'s brother. Sasuke cannot endure Sakura being Itachi's woman. So when the two of them try to make something out of their mismatched love, is it immorality, or love?
1. When The Last Sakura Fades

There was a secret far too scary for anyone to know. To say the secret would be the death of them and to keep it bottled up inside them would slowly squeeze the very life out of them. But how could they help it? They were drawn to their actions as a moth was to flame. It couldn't be helped.

She sat, sitting by the windowsill again, waiting for him again, perhaps for the last time. No, she was not waiting for her husband... that would not have been weird at all. The weird thing was that the one she was waiting for; the one who filled her heart with utter joy and delight was not her husband, but someone else. Ahh... the weight of the sin... but it could not be helped, for everytime she saw him approach, it was like a warm spring day after a brutal winter. If only she could call him her own...

Oh god... Sasuke...

Sakura sat by the windowsill, looking for him, listening for him... and feeling for him. He had not come yet. _Oh please hurry, my time grows short..._

"Sakura," A deep voice called to her, making her turn. There her husband stood, looking at her curiously. "What is out there that entertains you so?" He asks her but he is not interested in what was out there, entertaining her. He's merely asking so that she'd spill out what she was thinking about. Oh god... it was the third time this week. Did he notice? Oh god, no... please don't let him know... oh god... Was he going to use "that" against her? Looking into his eyes were so difficult. Oh... she couldn't. They were scary eyes... the ones that could read your mind; your soul... The ones that could torture you till no end... The demonic ones called the Sharingan.

"The weather is so beautiful today, no?" Sakura said, exerting massive amount of fake joy in her voice.

"Really? It's rainy," He replied.

"I enjoy rain, Itachi-sama," Sakura said.

Itachi looked at her. "How strange, I never knew you liked rainy weather. I've always thought that you'd like sunny days," He said, wrapping his cloak around him tightly.

Sakura smiled; again a fake smile just to keep him satisfied. "I love rain, Itachi-sama," She replied.

Itachi nodded. "If you say so, I hope there would be more rainfalls before you completely go blind and before you... pass on. I shall be back in the morning. Mind your health," He said.

Sakura did not need to respond to that. The window was open to let in the spring breeze. That was something Itachi allowed for Sakura's health was failing at a rather rapid rate. The reason for that, he didn't know or didn't even care at all. But maybe it was still cruel to die tonight without even telling him good-bye. So she told him. "Good bye, Itachi-sama," She said.

He stiffened a little. "Was that the last good bye?" He asked, his voice completely emotionless.

Sakura smiled, and repeated. "Good bye, Itachi-sama."

Itachi stayed for a moment longer. He walked to Sakura he layed a hand to her cheek. "Farewell," He said and disappeared.

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She sang a tune and waited for Sasuke curled up in her bed, her large window open to let in breeze.

Ahh... Sasuke... he was on a mission and she didn't see him in a whole week now. The sad thing was, her vision degraded so badly in the week.

Sasuke appeared next to her, without a word.

"Ah, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura chirped up in sheer happiness, unlike the robotic and obligatory joy that she had to force out of herself when greeting Itachi.

"Don't move so much, Sakura, and don't get so close to me. You'll smell like me and onii-sama would notice," He said, a tint of sadness behind his mono-toned voice that lacked any emotion.

"Don't worry about that, Sasuke-kun. Not tonight," Sakura said, disappointment and despair written across her face and painfully embedded in her voice.

Sasuke looked at her.

She appeared more fragile now. So much closer to death.

Desperation gripped him. He needed to do something so she wouldn't die. God, he would spill his own blood and carve off his own flesh to cure her. He would do anything and go anywhere. If someone told him a way, there was no such thing as thing he wouldn't do. Sadly though, there was a problem to that and that her disease was an incurable one. He could spill his blood, he could carve out his skin, hell he could sell his soul to the devils but that would do nothing to save this woman.

Sakura... Why was she named so? Had it been her destiny all along to live such a short life?

Sakura...

Sakura...

Sasuke, for the first time in a year or so, touched the desire of his heart once again. For the year, they had not touched each other in fear of Itachi noticing the difference in Sakura's scent, but that mattered little right now. Her skin felt like a flower petal, soft and flawless. He looked at her like a precious jewel as she closed her eyes savoring the sweet caress of the one she loved. She lifted her fragile hands to touch his own and it felt like ice.

"I love you, Sasuke-kun," Sakura said.

"Don't say such a thing," Sasuke said, unable to look in her green eyes.

Another cold hand, this time touched his face and turned his face towards her's, as his black gaze locked into her emerald ones. "Do you love me, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked.

Sasuke did not say a word. Was she leaving him? Tonight? Sakura... No...

"Sasuke-kun," She called again, pleasantly.

"I can't love you, Sakura," He said.

"Yes you can. Itachi-sama said his last farewell. I can be yours now."

"Sakura... I'd rather..." He couldn't go on. _I'd rather have you be my brother's and be _alive _than to have you be mine and be dead._

Sakura smiled. "I know what you're thinking now, and I urge you not to think such a thing. I'd rather be yours and die rather than to live eternity, being apart from you," Sakura said. Then she looked outside where a dying cherry-blossom tree stood. "Do you see that, Sasuke-kun?" She asked.

Sasuke looked, holding back a river of tears. All petals have fallen off but one.

"When that last petal had fallen off... that will be the death of me," Sakura said.

"Don't say that!" Sasuke yelled. He held Sakura by her shoulders and embraced her frail body as if it was the most precious thing he had ever held. "Don't say things like that..." He said.

Sakura sighed. "I want to hear it, Sasuke-kun... I want to hear it. Just once before I go... Pl-"

Sasuke pressed his lips onto hers. A tear trailed down his face.

_I don't want to hear it... no more... _

He held her as if that would help her life from draining away. Maybe he wanted to believe it for that moment that if he held her tightly, she would live. He wouldn't have minded that even a bit. But the reality hit him sooner than he hoped. Sakura was going to die and her last and only wish was to hear him say that to her. But wouldn't she die if she got her last wish? But... he's been so selfish all along... denying her, ignoring her... and the result was having her torn away from him by his _brother. _The pain she must have felt... the years that she had endured for him... yet was he only thinking of himself still? Oh no... it hurt and tore but it was time to finally frant _her _wish. It was time for _him _to sacrifice something for _her. _The one who sacrificed everything for him. The one who believed in him even though he didn't deserve it. The one who's been with him and loved him for this long unconditionally. It was time to grant Sakura's wish.

"Sakura..." He whispered into her ear. "I love you."

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NOTE: Sakura and Sasuke's relationship will now be rewinding. If you see the "Early days" thingiebefore the chapter title, it's… the earlier days. If you don't care about any of the dragging intro crap, I won't be offended. To skip the intros, go on to chapter 4. If you want to read the intro… go to chapter 2 (obviously….).


	2. Early Days: Return

It was late spring in Konoha. The sky had shined in bright azure color with the sun shining in its radiant glory. Especially today after the constant rain showers of the week was over and the sun had looked more welcoming than ever. The birds had chirped happily on the limbs of Sakura trees as winds blew the blossoms away. Time had claimed their short lives again and the trees had to let go of their blossoms and wait for another year to bear them once again. And as day faded, night took over.

Sakura, being a medic charged with heavy duties of hospital work, spent the time inside of the hospital, even today, with her white medic uniform As nice as the day was, there were people had come with heat stroke, fake heat stroke, asthma attack… and of course the Konoha ninja who were out on mission, returning with minor scrapes to punctured livers.

Today, was no exception to the busy duties of a medic, as Sakura wiped a sweat off of her brow as the patient who was formerly dying from cardiac arrest began to have normal pulses and was breathing regularly again.

"He's alive," Ino commented, out of breath but relieved.

Sakura nodded as she smiled and turned to the nurses. "Move this patient into one of the regular rooms. He'll be all right. Give him an hourly check-up and contact me immediately if his pulse fall under 80 or over 100. Also, contact me, when he wakes up. Give him nothing more than water."

The nurses obediently nodded and quickly wheeled him out of the room. Sakura and Ino followed them out, dragging their feet until Sakura plopped down on one of the waiting benches.

"Nice, job, medic," Ino told her as she sunk down next to her.

"Ugh, I need some energy drink," Sakura mumbled, stretching out her shoulders to check if it was still alive.

Today had passed by already as the shores of red and orange folded into the horizon and tides of blue and violet dyed the sky.

But even before she had time to let her shoulders relax again, a nurse, with her face as white as paper, rushed down the hallway, yelling, "We have emergency in room 419! Haruno-san, Yamanaka-san! Please hurry!"

Sakura and Ino jumped out of their seats and ran towards the nurse who turned on her heels and ran back the way she came.

This was her life as a medic. She barely had any time to even stretch and when things were calm, she circulated through the hospital, making sure that all patients were at ease. Her skills were seconded only by the shishou who taught her so it was direly needed in emergencies in which a place called hospital was faced with one at least once a day. Other than her hospital duties, she went on missions as a jounin, which was not as often as other jounin considering her massive responsibility in the hospital.

Then all the free time left over after her busy duties were spent with the reunited team seven caused by Sasuke's unexpected return.

The emergency patient was an eight-year-old child going through an asthma attack, in which it was no trouble at all for Sakura to fix. The child who was grasping for his breath with his trembling blue lips, was now calmly in his bed, sleeping as if nothing happened.

Sakura told the nurses a brief instruction of care before leaving them to their own duties.

Ino eventually left Sakura's side to tend to her own schedule, and Sakura headed towards the checkout room to end her duties for the day. She handed her shift to a medic named Eri and changed back in her favorite red clothing.

Then she headed to the one room she always went to whenever she found the time to or at the end of her day. It had been two weeks since Sasuke's unexpected, unbelievable, and untrustworthy, return.

Yes, she had so many things to ask him, and so many things she wanted to tell him.

But she was content just to be able to look at him… To have him safely return, though with broken arms, ribs, and slashes everywhere.

Sometimes, he seemed to be a bit more warmer towards her, but every time, she's dream about anything further, he'd always burst the little bubble of hope with his usual, cold remarks.

After some interrogation, it was found that Orochimaru's arms were completely useless and Sasuke only fed off of Orochimaru's skills, eventually bypassing his master to become stronger than him. With some effort, Sasuke killed Kabuto off before he did anything to protect his feeble master and Sasuke finished off the dying Orochimaru. Afterwards, the only thing he would say was that he searched for Uchiha Itachi, found him, and fought him.

No one knew how the battle between the two brothers went, as he was found later by a team of ANBU, bloody, beaten, and unconscious. Sasuke could have been mercilessly beaten or could have fought on almost-even ground with Itachi, who ended the battle with a close win. But, by the way Sasuke had killed Orochimaru _and _Kabuto, and by the way he never gritted his teeth about losing to Itachi, many _assumed_ the latter because he never uttered a _word _about it.

Now, through the constant watch by Kakashi and the ANBU, his genin status was returned to him but it wasn't as if he could do much with two broken arms, wrapped in bandages.

Sakura always wanted to laugh at the sight of him. One of the most powerful ninja that Konoha had to offer… his hands were nothing to fear, when tightly wrapped by layers upon layers of bandages that made his arms look like two, white, giant popsicles, stretched out and held up by two bandages that hung from the ceiling. In that point, it was fun to look at, no matter what kind of face he made or what tone of voice he spoke in.

She entered and saw him, gazing dazedly out the window, out of boredom. "Sasuke-kun," She called.

He turned to look at her and nodded to her in acknowledgement. Was that a smile just now? Probably not.

Sakura calmly strode towards him and sat on the chair next to the bed. "How are you feeling?" She asked.

"Fine."

"Have you found anything to do?" She asked.

"Not really… obviously."

"I can bring you a book or something. You know, to keep you company… Although all I have are fairy tales. Maybe magazines?"

"No thanks."

As always… His responses were so short and it never led to a conversation. Just question and answer. Sakura held her desire to sigh, when a nurse came in, wheeling in a tray of food.

"Ah, How great!" She exclaimed. "I was busy right now but it's nice that your girlfriend's here, Uchiha-san."

"Well... I'm not..." Sakura mumbled, blushing.

Sasuke stared at the nurse blankly.

"Well then... I guess I'll let you feed that cute boyfriend of yours," The nurse said, winking. Without further ado, she left the tray of food to Sakura, and left the room humming.

Sakura found herself unable to move or speak yet as she looked at the tray of food incredulously. After meditating by herself for seemingly thirty-seconds, Sakura gained her composure and turned back to Sasuke. His face was neutral, neither angry nor humored.

In the older days when she was still twelve, she would have yelped in joy and rub it in Ino's face everyday for a month that she got to feed Sasuke while he was hurt, talking about how romantic and dramatic it was. But the years spent with him and the years spent without him made her realize that things she saw on dramas rarely happened. There were no cute music and camera angles involved; just herself, who was afraid to touch him. Afraid to do anything to or for him.

But she was a medic and she _had _to see to the needs of her patient. And right now, Sasuke must be fed.

She picked the spoon up and stirred the steaming porridge, a bit too fast than he seemed used to. Countless times, she fantasized about things like these, feeding him when he was helpless, training together until they both fell and roll together on grassy plains, kissing in the rain… But _he_ was so far from dreaming those things, that Sakura didn't dare think of it as _ever_ coming true.

"It's going to get cold in that rate." Sasuke commented, rather dryly as he watched her stir the porridge non-stop and steams escaped out of it seemingly endlessly.

"Sorry," She said, smiling awkwardly at him who just continued to look at her. She lifted the spoon to her lips and felt the heat on it. Ensuring that it was still hot but cool enough not to burn his mouth, she tentatively brought it about Sasuke's mouth.

As the white, grainy, stuff knocked at his lips, he kept his gaze locked on Sakura's as he slowly took in the tiny spoonful in his mouth.

Sakura pulled the spoon out of his mouth and reached in the bowl to repeat the procedure under his strange, probing eyes and the silence.

Though the tranquility of the two of them created a tender scene to those who may have been watching, the feelings inside of Sakura were far from tranquil. Her stomach lurched violently and her heart was beating in a furious speed that frightened her. She was calming herself down as she reached in the bowl for the last tiny morsel of porridge and lifted into his mouth when her heart stopped along with her hand movements as Sasuke held the spoon in his mouth with his teeth.

She patiently waited until he released the spoon out of his mouth but he held it there, holding Sakura's hands there on the handle of the spoon as well as her surprised gaze. She applied enough pressure to let him know that she wanted the spoon free but not enough to jerk it free from his firm grasp of his teeth.

If he had free hands, he might have touched her cheek right then, but he only continued to stare, leaving her to wonder what on earth was wrong with him.

"Sasuke-kun… If you wanted more porridge… you should just say so…" Sakura finally said.

Sasuke suddenly let go as Sakura eased the spoon out of his mouth and back into the bowl.

"You were a good patient," Sakura joked, as she regained her casual smile. "I misjudged you, you know… I thought you would toss about, saying that you could well feed yourself."

"My arms are useless right now. And I'm not Naruto."

Sakura chuckled at his sudden ability to spark some humor… whether he meant it as a humor or not. But a small smile at the corner of his mouth made her sure of the former, and it made her happy. "Naruto's still after me, you know. He may have enjoyed me feeding him… unlike you. Oh yeah, I almost forgot to say, after today, you won't need anyone feeding you anymore. Your arms don't have to be mummified anymore," She told him and she could have sworn that when he looked back at her for a moment, he had a huge, happy grin on his face.

But all he said was, "Oh."

"But it doesn't mean it's fully healed. The bones are still broken but it just isn't _so __badly _broken anymore."

Sasuke hadn't answered her then; he just turned his head silently towards the window. He seemed to be deep in thought. It never mattered who was there, or who wasn't there. He did whatever the hell suited him for that moment and at this moment, all he felt like doing was be deep in thought about something. Most-likely Itachi.

Sakura knew a dismissal when she sensed one and she didn't stick around or drag her feet out, in rejection and sorrow.

But Sasuke stopped her. "Sakura."

Sakura whirled around in surprise and childish old hopes of drama where he would look at her passionately and told her to get close to kiss her and…

"Adjust my arms. I want to sleep."

"No problem," She answered promptly. Of course, he wouldn't do that. He was Uchiha Sasuke and she was just… Sakura. She adjusted the bandages that hung from the ceiling to hang by his side as she eased him down on the bed and for a moment, she wanted to just embrace him. She hoped he didn't notice her holding him a bit closer than necessary but most-likely, he didn't. "Are you comfortable?" She asked, after she regretfully let him go.

"Somewhat."

"Okay. Good night, Sasuke-kun," She told him.

"Later."

At least he was counting on a "later" now. In the older times, he would have told her, "Never come back."

Sakura picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder as he drifted away into sleep. It was probably the drugs that made him sleepier than usual.

God, he looked beautiful... More so now than he did three years ago when he left her. He had seemed hopelessly beautiful then too, with his raven hair, silver-blue tinted by the moonlight that fell upon him. Even now, his angular and perfectly crafted face seemed as if it was a marble sculpture that deserved to belong in a museum for preservation. The fierceness of being a shinobi and the pain of his past was reflected in his black eyes that were sealed behind lashes even girls would die for. And his lips... Sakura couldn't even look at them without blushing. She wondered how long she'd been staring at him like that, not that she had any intention to stop in anyway.

"Sakura," He suddenly called.

Sakura thought she was going to have a heart-failure. "Y-yes?"

He didn't say anything. He was... sleeping... Was he dreaming about her?

What on earth was she doing? She should be going home. It was rude to stare. She got up and turned to leave, very reluctantly.

But then his lips moved again. "Thank you," He said softly.

She felt her heart sink and slow but he said no more. Tears stung her eyes, but she had no idea why.

"Thank you" was an expression of gratitude but for some reason, she never wanted to hear him say that to her ever again.

He may as well would have said "Good bye."

Sakura sighed softly as to not wake him. Wiping tears away from her eyes, she went home and cried without ever knowing why or how to stop her tears.


	3. Early Days: Warning

Early in the morning, Sakura was called into Tsunade's office. She was about to knock on the door when she heard low voices speaking of important matters. Sakura leaned in the door in an effort to hear what they were saying.

"Uchiha Itachi? What does he want from us?" Shizune's voice bled through the door, filled with concern and confusion.

"Nothing more than peace, he claims... But I wonder..." Tsunade responded, her tone, closely matching Shizune's only with a hint of frustration. Then, "Sakura," Tsunade called.

Sakura stumbled away from the door as she straightened herself. "Y-yes, shishou…"

"Get in here."

_Crap_

Sakura took a deep breath before she slowly went in the room, hoping that Tsunade was in a good mood, but probably not. Tsunade sat with an annoyed expression on her face with her hands knitted in front of her as she always did when she was thinking about things that were actually important. Shizune stood across from her, holding Tonton.

"Sakura, I had a request for you. Shikamaru just returned from a mission but he hurt himself somehow... There is a fracture in his wrist and I want you to go fix it quickly, since we need him as an examiner in the Chuunin Exams. Also, well, I guess I should say, _before_ that, I need you to get Kakashi and _tell__ him __not __to __be __late_."

Taking her off duty to make her run errands? It made no sense but the way she furrowed her brows told Sakura that objections were not an option. "Yes, shishou... umm..." Sakura wanted to know about what they were talking about.

"Hmm?" Tsunade said, looking at Sakura. Her eyes were sharp like the edge of a kunai, flashing a furious vibe of frustration and it was daring Sakura to ask about the situation.

And of course with a dare so dangerous, Sakura declined. "Oh, nothing. I'll... be off right away," Sakura said and went off on her way.

Shizune watched as the pink-haired medic ran out to preserve her young life. "Tsunade-sama... should we..."

"No, not yet. It's too early to openly discuss such matters. We'll have a talk with Kakashi before we do anything. After all, we're dealing with the Akatsuki here and the man who has power enough to cause this village great harm and quite possibly destruction. He _did _kill all of his clan without hesitation and fear," Tsunade said.

Shizune fell quiet.

Tsunade sighed, as she got up from her chair and walked to the window. "They say they only want peace but we all know that we _can'__t_ trust them... And if peace is what we want to maintain, we must have a grip on them with something that is of ours... But I'm not sure what that is because I can't think of any at this moment..."

Tonton began to whine in Shizune's arms.

"O well... Tonton must be hungry. We'll discuss this when Kakashi gets here... meanwhile, I am going to give myself a bath... "on time" for that man means "two hours later" anyway," She said and left to do so.

* * *

The sky was murky blue of early morning, the air smelling of collected dew drops on the leaves of trees and flower petals as wind blew ever so gently as to not disturb them. Birds chirped peacefully about the trees as the gentle chill enveloped the village like an invisible fog. The few people who were awake and out in the streets as early as this were exercising and others were sweeping unwanted materials out of the way of their shops. 

Among them, were the father and daughter pair of Ichiraku owners as they acknowledged Sakura and smiled.

Sakura smiled and waved as she slowly dragged by. She had an over-sized sweatshirt pulled on her to protect her from the cold. Her guess was that it was Naruto's but if it was, she didn't remember when it came in her hands. Sakura yawned and stretched her arms above her head as if she never stretched before in her life. The relieved muscle of her shoulder sent a pleasing feeling down her spine and she almost felt as if she was going to have a good day.

Almost.

She wished she knew what Tsunade and Shizune were talking about.

Uchiha Itachi's name had come up and both of them were drenched with worry. The air in that room was so heavy, that Sakura thought she would never be able to breathe again.

And why Itachi?

Sakura poked some guesses but none of them made any sense. Before she ran out of ideas though, she reached Kakashi's door. She rang the bell to receive no answer. She rang once more to give away to pounding the door. When there still was no reply and she began to gather chakra into her fists, she saw Kakashi, only not in his room, but at the stairs.

"Kakashi-sensei? What are you doing out here?" She asked quickly in order to mask the attempted break-in.

"Hmm? Shouldn't I be asking _you _that question?" He said, lazily.

Oh, right... This was _his _house.

"I thought you'd be sleeping inside. I had to tell you something."

"Oh? What is something _so_ important that you had to come all the way _here _to tell me?" He asked, jokingly.

"Tsunade-shishou asked for you."

"Oh, that's disappointing," He dropped his gaze. "I thought you were going to tell me something special and wonderful. Like a pretty lady is looking for me or something…" He trailed off as he found some interest in an ant moving in and out of a tiny crack between two stairs.

"Kakashi-sensei..." Sakura called.

"Hmm?" His attention was still undivided from the ant.

"I don't think her news will be special and wonderful either," Sakura sighed. "I don't think I was supposed to be listening but it has something to do with Uchiha Itachi."

Something like shock passed Kakashi's face as he tore his gaze off of the ant to focus back on her. "What?"

Sakura tried to be indifferent about it as she shrugged her shoulder. "It's what I heard. Shishou was rather bothered."

But Kakashi knew her way to well. "It's bothering you too."

Sakura sighed. "I don't even know what's going on. But I know that Sasuke-kun fought him some time ago. That's the last thing I heard anything about Itachi." And that brought no more comfort to her.

Kakashi laid a gentle, understanding hand on her head. "Don't worry, Sakura," He told her, smiling. The only way she could tell he was smiling was only by his visible right eye. "Whatever happens, we'll just face it."

"Do we have a choice?"

Kakashi said nothing and then he left, leaving Sakura to drown in her own thoughts. And then she remembered Shikamaru.

The hospital was busy even in the early morning and Shikamaru was waiting for her with a very discontent look on his face, filled with other complaints that Sakura could not bring a solution to. It was his own laziness and indifference that caused the most problems for him. But he was a nice guy. He was a nice guy…

"What took you so long? Geez, this hurts like hell," Shikamaru whined.

"Sorry, but you know, you're lucky I even considered coming here _this_ early to fix your wrists," That was a lie. She was _ordered _to do so by Tsunade herself. Why did the hokage favor him anyway? All he ever did was complain... although she had to admit, he _was_ a genius and his strategies had saved many lives over the years...

"You're a medic; it's your _job_ to fix people. It's not my fault that some fatass decided to take a tumble right over me, damn I thought I was gonna die before I-"

"Let me see your wrist," Sakura said, sighing.

"You're looking at it," He said, lifting it up to her face. She almost laughed when he winced in pain at the sudden movement.

Sakura passed on her chakra to his wrist, almost immediately mending the fracture. "There, it's all healed but you still have to take it easy for a while," She told him.

"Take it easy, my ass," Shikamaru said, shaking his wrists to make sure it didn't hurt as if sky was tearing in two. "Chuunin exams are going to start in ten days. We gotta take off to Mist Village in two days since it takes about a week to get there."

"Chuunin exams?" Sakura asked. She had completely forgotten about them.

"Yeah… troublesome as always… Genma, that lazy-ass "retired" and Godaime put me in charge. I just found out this morning when I returned from my mission and told her my wrist broke. Damn that woman, she tells me, "Your wrists are fractured, I see… that _won't_ do since you have to be the examiner in the Chuunin exams from now on." If she didn't scare me half-to-death, I would have refused but… she's such a troublesome pain in the ass…" He whined, scratching his head. "Oh, by the way, Is Uchiha in any shape to compete?"

Her heart wrenched at the mention of Sasuke. "Oh, Sasuke-kun? No… he probably won't…" She mumbled. _He__ probably__ would__ go__ no__ matter __what._

"He'll probably go no matter what," Shikamaru answered.

Sakura sighed. Shikamaru's question might as well have been a rhetorical question.

Why _wouldn't_ Sasuke go? Nothing stopped him from anything ever before.

Not Kakashi, not her, not Naruto, not even his own injuries…

"Well, thanks," Shikamaru said, standing up to leave.

"Sure thing," Sakura answered him with a voice that lacked any energy whatsoever.

Shikamaru lifted his eyebrows but just yawned before he shrugged her off to leave.

Sakura returned to the Hokage Tower to report that everything Tsunade had asked of her was done and the sannin nodded knowingly as Kakashi stood beside her with an unreadable expression on his face.

There wasn't much to read anyway; just one eye.

Sakura stepped out as Tsunade quickly dismissed her. If the three (Tsunade, Shizune, Kakashi) of them were not such high-level ninja, she'd plant her ear by the door and listen but since that was not the case, she resisted the temptation to do so and regretfully dragged her feet away.

In which her slow steps accelerated to a speeded stalk when she thought of Sasuke.

His arms were no longer required to hang from the ceiling as of today. The bones were healed enough to stay in place even if me moved a bit and that was enough excuse for Sasuke to enter the Chuunin Exam.

She should have warned him off, not that he'd listen to her. Or lied to him that Chuunin Exam was cancelled for this year, not that he'd believe her. Or at least tell him that say that his bones were still too frail to bear his nin-jutsu skills, not that he'd care.

Although in the end, there would be no use, Sakura could at least try.

She was running to Sasuke's room when her yellow-haired teammate suddenly appeared in front of her.

"Sakura-chan!" He called, in his overly-cheerful voice.

"Hi, Naruto... no missions today?"

"Nope, I'm bored as hell…" Naruto said, smiling. But after taking one glance at her, he let her know that he knew her too well. "Sakura-chan, you look stressed out," He said, worriedly.

"Oh, really? I'm not, really…" Sakura said.

"Sakura-chan, you're a horrible liar," He told her.

"Sasuke-kun's going to enter the Chuunin Exam, isn't he?" She said, at last. He'd only probe her until she told him the truth and he knew it when she lied.

"Of course!"

She could have punched him, but his smile was too happy to beat on. Instead, she shook her head in annoyance. Of course, _Naruto_ would assume this… He was just the same as Sasuke. "You know, sometimes I wonder how soon I'll be the _only_ remaining person in Team 7."

"There's always Kakashi-sensei."

"He's just as bad."

"Well, you're a girl and we're men… We're just more competitive."

Wrong choice of words. Normally, she would have sent him flying across the village but she was already too tired so she just replied with, "You mean_ just__ stupider_."

When the door opened, Sasuke was sitting on the bed, upright, staring into space. His arms looked more like human arms and less like a giant popsicle as they hung on his chest rather than in mid-air.

Sakura was about to tell him "good morning" when Naruto spoke first.

"How are ya doing, handicap?"

"It's bearable," He answered flatly.

"Showing off as always… you think you look all cool, staring into space with disabled arms?"

Sasuke glanced sharply towards him. "At least sitting in here gets me away from you," He responded.

"What? And what's wrong with me?!" Naruto shot back.

"Everything."

"I would kick your ass right now, if your arms were not broken!"

"And I can kick yours right now with none of my arms."

"What the hell did you say?!"

Sakura sighed.

Two weeks.

Two weeks were all it took for Naruto and Sasuke to resume their "love and hate" friendship. The shattered friendship somehow restored itself and the barrier between them dissolved down as if there had been nothing there at all to begin with. Although their rivalry somehow worsened after Sasuke returned, the bond between them were definite and irreplaceable. It was so easy for them; to be able to growl at each other like this and then to care about one another although in silence and denial. _But __at__ least __it__ was __unmistakable._

It was not the same for Sakura and it was hard to know what he thought of her now.

It was hard to know what _she_ thought of _him _now.

"Whatever, loser… I'm ditching you," Naruto said as he walked out. "Later, Sakura-chan!"

"Bye…" Sakura mouthed after Naruto slammed the door shut.

"Sakura," Sasuke called, to Sakura's surprise.

"Yes?" She answered in both shock and joy.

"How… long is it going to take until my bones heal?" He asked.

Sakura knew why he asked. "Sasuke-kun… You can't take the exam like that…"

"It will be another ten days until it starts. Even then, the first exam is the writing portion."

"I know, but-"

"Sakura, tell me," He commanded.

"Sasuke-kun, please… I don't want to have to answer to shishou when you get hurt."

"Then don't. It was my choice."

"As a medic," Sakura tried to sound as firm as possible. "I have a responsibility to watch over you. I cannot let you go anywhere."

"Then I will have to force my way out."

"I know you're strong, Sasuke-kun… I have no hopes of defeating you in a fair-matched combat…" And by the gods, she hoped this would never happen again. Once was more than enough. "But you're hurt right now, and I will have to force you back down if I have to."

His onyx eyes locked into her emerald ones.

Damn this man, she hated it when he did this.

She couldn't look away.

She helplessly looked into the dark abyss of his eyes as she trembled at the terrible beauty of it. Nothing was displayed in his eyes; not anger, not sadness, not confusion… nothing. Only, his gaze was piercing and searching. He browsed her eyes, into her very soul, as Sakura had stopped breathing altogether. It was wonderful and horrifying at the same time.

"It's always been this way," He said, at last as he looked away. "You always say the same thing over and over again. "Don't do this, don't do that…" After four years, you're more annoying than ever."

His words struck her like lightening. "How could you…" She said, her lips trembling. Then she grew a bit angry. She meant to stay silent, but, "And after four years, you're still so cold to me!" She hadn't meant to tell him this. She never meant to tell him in this way like a whining child who lashed out in raw frustration but all of it were evident in her voice.

It didn't matter how much she loved him, did it? All that waited for her was the cold rejection. She was an _idiot_. How could he have possibly loved her? She was confronting him right now, for his own good, and he just hated her even more. Day by day, he'd just hate her more and more. It felt painful to be hated by someone she loved with all of her heart.

But what was she supposed to do? All she wanted to do now was to protect him. No matter how weak she was and no matter how strong he was, he couldn't just show up in the Chuunin Exam in his state. "For god's sake, _Uchiha__ Sasuke_" The way she dropped the suffix shocked him a bit as his gaze returned to her. "I say what I say as a teammate, a friend. Like Naruto. You'd listen to _him_."

"He doesn't ask me to bend my will."

"He tried to stop you from going to Orochimaru."

"You both did. You both failed. I left on my will and returned on my will. That one time Naruto tried to force me to stay in Konoha four years ago, I almost killed him. Since you claim that you mean as much as Naruto to me, you will get the same treatment."

"Well you can't kill me in the state that you're in, _can_ you?" The dare escaped out of Sakura's mouth before she'd had the time to feel the pain of his words which stabbed at her shortly after she spat out her share of words.

Before she could clutch her heart with her shaking fingertips, Sasuke beat her to it.

He was now in front of her, his face so close that she could feel his breath on her face with his warmth radiating from himself to her. His arm had tore through the piece of fabric that hung from his neck to clutch the collar of her shirt as it wrinkled in his powerful; hands like a worthless piece of tissue.

Sakura gasped as she saw a flash of a memory race in her mind. The last time they stood together was when he was about to end her with his katana.

Now he stood in front of her, with the same intention.

But his eyes held no hatred. Curiosity tugged at his mind and he released her moments after, but hadn't moved away. He lowered his arm so it hung limp to his side. "I shouldn't matter to you," He whispered. He hadn't meant to but his emotionless whisper sounded more like a broken pleading.

"Don't tell me what _should_ matter to me…" She tried to sound angry though she knew it sounded kind.

"Sakura..." His hand reached out to her arm and grabbed it tightly.

Sakura didn't know how to react. The heat on her arm coursed through her intestinal system somehow felt as if it got screwed up. Her heart was thumping so loudly that the sound was rising to her ear.

But to her dismay, his hand returned to the limp position as the heat on her arm seceded to feel unusually cold. There was no way to explain how she felt that moment. Something inside her quieted and some other thing began to bang against her insides psychotically.

So she did the only thing that her current logic told her to do.

She kissed him.

There was little to no resistance from him. He stood there like a stone statue, frozen in time and eternity.

Sakura drew back in shock of what she had just done. But before she had the time to feel the embarrassment rush through her, Sasuke pushed her head towards him and pressed his lips on her's.

His lips felt dry and cracked against Sakura's velvet-soft ones. He deepened the kiss as Sakura responded by wrapping her arms about him.

She didn't have the luxury to look just outside then but the last of the sakura blossom finally broke free of the tree's grip and floated away, with its petals intwined with the early summer's wind.


	4. Early Days: Treaty

"Uchiha Sasuke," Tsunade called. "You spoke your wishes on wanting to participating in this year's Chuunin Exam. You're a shinobi enough to know your own limits, I assume."

Sasuke held back his desire to yawn.

"Both your arms are broken, two ribs broken - though almost healed - and still more stitches that are yet to heal… Are you _sure_?" She asked.

"Yes." Listening to Tsunade barking at him when he could just go home, was a trial like no other.

"Sakura, what were you thinking…" Tsunade mumbled as she solidly stamped Sasuke's exam permission sheet with a displeased face.

Sasuke had requested to meet with her and when he found his way into her office, he said nothing but gave her a slip of white paper. It was a patient release form, indicating that Sasuke was released from the hospital and Sakura's initials permitted him to request a participation in the Exam. Tsunade knew her pupil was probably smarter than any of the medics in Konoha but the note told her otherwise.

She pushed the note to him with discontent as he took it back into his bandages hands and managed to walk out without limping.

Just as Sasuke gripped the handle to open the door, the door burst open as Sasuke jumped away out of instinct. Shizune rushed in, panting and drenched in sweat. "Tsunade-sama… we… need to…" Her words were broken by her heavy breathing but she said no more than that. Tsunade looked to her, both annoyed and alert, although she would never bust in like this unless there was an emergency. Upon seeing Sasuke, Shizune regained her calm and stiffly walked over to Tsunade, and whispered something in her ears that Sasuke really couldn't hear.

Tsunade suddenly stiffened as she listened to Shizune's words which were inaudible to Sasuke. "Right now?" Tsunade asked sharply as soon as Shizune was done speaking.

Sasuke knew that he had no business in Shizune's news so he stepped out quietly although both the hokage and her attendant's eyes were fixed on him.

After Tsunade was sure that Sasuke was clearly out of the hokage tower, she turned back to Shizune. "What on _hell_ is Itachi doing in Konoha?" She asked.

"Well… that's what we were trying to figure out. He showed up about fifteen minutes ago… but resisted any kind of violence… he's waiting in the dango place with Kakashi-sempai," Shizune said, quite confused herself.

"Kakashi is with him?" Tsunade relaxed just a little but not enough to give any of them relief.

It was strange.

Uchiha Itachi… he was a S-Rank criminal wanted by all shinobi lands and yet he decided to walk right into the lion's den… apparently with some kind of a peace treaty… just what was that man thinking? There was no way that a member of Akatsuki would want to negotiate with a welcoming reason. That was like expecting a hungry lion to completely ignore a fat, vulnerable fawn completely visible to its eyes. So it made no sense since, he was a superior genius who could calculate the most perfect schemes miles ahead of everyone on the face of the planet. And dealing with such a genius, _particularly_ in a situation like this where peace was at stake, was a risky one. One wrong choice and death would beckon to not only her but her entire village.

Itachi, more or less, brought death to his own entire clan and with his growing power, it's not likely that he will hesitate to wipe out the population in the village that he had forsaken. He had the heart of ice gilded with black lead; that is if he even _had_ a heart.

"Well, what else is there to do, now that he's here?" Tsunade finally said, but more to herself than to anyone else. "Hurry and tell Kakashi and Itachi to not leave the dango place. It'll be a troublesome thing if I had to explain why Uchiha Itachi walked into Konoha so suddenly, since I really don't know, myself."

Shizune nodded and left promptly.

Tsunade rested her forehead on her firm fist. Never was there a problem such as this… this was just _too _unbelievable. Gradually, she left her seat to meet the S-rank criminal that wanted a seemingly impossible alliance.

* * *

Sakura entered the hokage tower to report in the summary of the hospital duty for the day. 

It was a cool night as crickets sang and the air was as still as the bright moon shining above her.

As she walked her distance, she felt a sense of regret so great, that it felt as if she had never had regrets before.

She never should have been allowed to dream…

After the kiss, Sasuke had let her go, telling her that he needed her to adjust his arm in the proper healing position. It was more like _replacing_ it than adjusting it since he ripped it off in an attempt to kill her.

Sakura just nodded and obliged, not knowing what to think or feel, but more importantly, what _he_ was thinking or what _he_ was feeling.

She fixed his arms in the deafening silence that rang in her ears. She sometimes looked up to him to see if he cared but his eyes were fixed outside. She mentally dared him to look at her but when his eyes slightly rolled to her direction, she nearly flinched with the effort to look away from him and look at the white bandages on his arm. She dearly wished to say something to him, but there was nothing to say unless she just wanted to sound like a crazy woman with speech-impairment, talking to herself. She was glad when she found something to say to break the awkward silence. "It's all fixed."

She prayed to any gods that existed that he'd say something back. Anything.

"Good."

Scratch the last prayer; she meant: say something _about__ what __they __did._

But the wish was wasted on her part of not wishing specifically enough and he said no more.

So she said no more either.

Although the kiss told her more lies to her than it seemed possible, she kept it to herself. After all, he was the one who planted them inside of her. His kiss was a purposeless deception.

Wordlessly, she walked out of his room, and after signing a patient release form for Patient Uchiha Sasuke. She attached a note of approval to Tsunade for Sasuke's Chuunin Exam and scribbled her initial in. After giving the note to the surprised nurses who were in charge of Sasuke, Sakura quietly resumed her medic work, and not once, visited Sasuke today again.

If there was anything that her shishou taught her, it was to never let a person exit the hospital out of sympathy unless they were surely going to die. Sakura signed his note which meant that she gave him permission to damage his body further. Sasuke probably showed her the note already.

When she entered the room, Tsunade was walking briskly with a fierce look in her face. Not good. She only had that look the second before punching a hole in the poor wall when she was extremely frustrated with something. Hopefully Tsunade would consider the fact that Sakura was made of flesh and bones which were just as the stone walls she blew holes in. Not likely…

She greeted Tsunade who continued to pace about and as Sakura made a vain effort to reason with Tsunade about the signed note, the hokage walked past Sakura, not even noticing her existence.

She stared at Tsunade's back as she walked off into the distance, blinking numbly. Was Tsunade so repulsed with Sakura that she could not even bear her presence? She couldn't help but wonder, although it was probably something entirely different.

Why on earth would Tsunade walk around Konoha with a face that looked as if she could wring a bear, she had only the faintest amount of clue, but it would make everyone nervous. Maybe beyond nervous; probably, shaking with terror.

She was well off of the tower now as Sakura saw her walking about the streets underneath.

Sakura broke out of her trance as she decided to follow Tsunade. Hurried steps led her to the stairway in which she skipped down five stairs at a time. All the time down, her eyes were fixed on Tsunade and the direction she was heading. At last when Sakura was finally free of the stairs, she sprinted down the street after her, though not close enough for her to notice.

Tsunade turned many corners and walked in circles as to confuse Sakura but she hadn't noticed Sakura following her. She probably just wanted to make sure no one was clear on where she was heading. After few loops and walking in circles, Tsunade quickly entered the dango place which was clearly closed.

What was she thinking? Who walked into the joyful dango place with an expression that could pierce titanium? Although it was obvious that no one was there; it was night time.

Sakura silently went in after Tsunade and using her highest level of stealth, she hid between the shadows as Tsunade made her way to the deepest part of the place and opened the door to one of the secluded rooms where rich people made appointments to sit in. Tsunade picked up her shoes to hide the fact she was there and entered inside, closing the door behind her.

Sakura sneaked on closer and used her henge to transform into a mouse. Then she listened in on the conversation that went about when Tsunade entered.

Had people been waiting for her?

"Greetings, Uchiha Itachi. This is quite unexpected. What brings you here?" Tsunade said, calmly.

_Uchiha__ Itachi._

"I come in peace," A foreign voice that sounded a bit like Sasuke's, spoke in a soft, low tone. Sakura thought her blood was drying out for the voice belonged to Uchiha Itachi.

"Peace, you say. What a fitting word for someone like you. Why all of a sudden offer peace?" Tsunade's voice.

Itachi spoke again. "There are no reasons for you to be so suspicious of me anymore. Akatsuki is no more."

"That's quite hard for us to believe," Tsunade said.

There was a short pause. Then Itachi spoke. "I can prove it."

"And how?"

Another pause. Then, "It will just bring more suspicion if I came up with how to prove it. Isn't that right?" Itachi said, his voice steady and emotionless. It was impossible to detect any lies or truth from the way he talked. And the way Sakura remembered it, no one could read his thoughts or emotion from his face either.

If the black hair and the sharingan wasn't enough to prove the fact that Itachi and Sasuke were related, here was another way to prove the fact that they were brothers. The lack of emotion. Except Itachi seemed to be better at being such a static person.

"Give your ring to us," A new voice said, but it didn't surprise Sakura at all since she was the one who went to bring Kakashi to Tsunade this morning.

"Granted," Itachi said, simply.

Tsunade, like Sakura probably doubted that the ring was real and must have thrown the look of suspicion to Kakashi because he replied, "It's real. I can see it with the sharingan."

"It's not over yet, though," Tsunade's voice. "If a treaty is what you want… then we need to seal it with something permanent. This one ring won't do." Even as she said this, she was thinking of _what_ she can do to hold Itachi to his word.

"You don't seem to have a way to hold me to my word yet. Very well, I'll allow time. However, as easy as I let that ring go, both of us must pay the nearly same price. There is something I want as well."

"And that is?"

"Nothing that concerns you or the village. But I will say that it will not harm the village."

That was when Kakashi spoke. "Well, in that case… we _are_ rather short of the Uchiha line, even with you and Sasuke here. Sharingan users, after all, are a major advantage to the village. You've pretty much terminated that line. So maybe if you want to "undo" or rather "improve" the condition of what you've caused," Kakashi said, carefully.

The Uchiha was silent.

So was Tsunade.

It was clear what Kakashi was trying to say and that was a _very _unexpected solution especially with someone like Itachi. Was he even straight? Or rather, did he even give any thought to that kind of stuff? Probably not since she killed everyone except his own brother… in which if the situation was thought out carefully enough, it would not make sense… _at__ all._

The room was silent for a while. Obviously, Itachi had different options about how to make a treaty or an alliance or whatever.

"It is the oldest method in history of land that marriage is used to seal alliances," Kakashi said.

"And yet it doesn't always work," Tsunade said, but her voice clearly showed that Tsunade did not have any better ideas.

Itachi didn't answer for a very long time. However, eventually, he did. "Very well," Itachi said. "I think it might be the same price then after all."

"And on that matter… the treaty is sealed," Kakashi said.

"Uchiha Itachi," Tsunade called. "You know what will happen if we break this treaty, don't you?" She asked, danger glinting in her voice.

"I know it well," He said.

"Stay outside of Konoha until we call to you again. I guess since we came up with the idea of treaty… it's only fair to… let you have the choice of a… bride. With the bride's consent, of course," Tsunade said.

"Hokage-sama, you go on ahead," Kakashi spoke. "I'll escort Itachi-san out of this place," Kakashi said.

"There is no need," Itachi said.

"I know your skills are beyond comprehension but it will alarm the village if you were to be found alone," Kakashi said.

"Whatever suits you," Itachi said.

Tsunade said nothing and it scared the living hell out of Sakura when the door suddenly flung open. Tsunade walked off, not even looking back. She was clearly more troubled than ever before.

"Well, I think we shall get going too," Kakashi said. "Uchiha Itachi, if you betray Konoha one more time… I'll do anything in my power to exterminate you," He said.

Itachi replied, with a short, "Fair enough," with his tone so damn plain that it was impossible to detect anything from it.

Both of them stepped out but Itachi stopped in his tracks to stare at a little mouse, standing by the door which happened to e Sakura. "I think someone was listening in our conversation the whole time," Itachi pointed out.

_Crap._

Kakashi looked at the mouse and he sighed. "Sakura, change back."

_Shit._

Sakura became Sakura, feeling guilty and embarrassed. She stole a look at her sensei and then to Itachi.

He was not in his usual black and red Akatsuki cloak that covered everything but his head. Instead, he was wearing the normal shinobi clothes without the green jacket. Anyone who wasn't blind could tell that Itachi was Sasuke's brother with his eyes currently as black as his hair that stared empty but sharp. No one could predict when the pair of liquid black would twist into the intense pool of red. Sakura rather felt uncomfortable looking into it.

"Haruno Sakura, isn't it?" Itachi spoke to her without any enthusiasm or chagrin.

Sakura nodded in response.

"A friend of Sasuke."

Again, she nodded curtly. His gaze was so piercing that her words froze.

"It'd be best if he didn't know of this for now," Kakashi commented.

Itachi said nothing else, only gaze at her as if he was counting how many strands of pink hair she had on her head.

"Umm… I'll g-go now…" Sakura voiced out, her voice sounding awkward even to herself.

Kakashi nodded and Itachi looked away from her and began counting ceiling tiles. Or it seemed.

Sakura stalked out to the world outside, purposely slowing herself down. If she hadn't, she would be sprinting.

_Damn __it __all…_

How would Sasuke react to this?

She had heard, seen, and felt the fire of his dark ambition too many times to think that Sasuke would get over this situation. She'd probably be devastated too if the enemy she set her sights on to kill was now her ally. Sasuke didn't just hate his brother, but wanted to him dead, only by his hands. Avenging was his purpose in his view and now everything he did towards that goal crumbled. How would Sasuke cope with such a thing?

Ultimately, it was for the good of Konoha, but for Sasuke, it was both impossible and cruel.

Cold drizzle began to sprinkle over her and in minutes, thin needles of rain poured down upon her.

She wanted nothing more than to go home and sleep but instead, she found herself slumped on a bench in a training area where the Team 7 frequently trained on as genin. The cold rain shattering on her skin felt surprisingly nice after a while and she closed her eyes as to savor it.

Such dear memories were held here.

When she opened her eyes again, footsteps came towards her until a pair of feet stopped in front of her.

"What are you doing here, Sakura?" It was Sasuke. He looked indifferent as he stood there, umbrella in one hand that was more healed than the other.

"How are your arms?" Sakura asked, weakly.

"What do you think you're doing? You're gonna get sick."

"I shouldn't matter to you..." Sakura spat, bitterly.

Sasuke wordlessly stepped closer to Sakura to shelter her from the rain that soaked her. "Go home, Sakura."

"Why do you avoid me?"

Sasuke's brows creased at her question, but he only responded with "Sakura, god damn it, you're gonna get sick."

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura called. She's wanted to ask him this for a long time, yet never had the courage to. Right now, when the day had gone by in the worst way possible, why not take one more blow to the heart? "What am I to you?"

Sasuke gave a defeated sigh. He almost looked tender at the moment, yet the words he spoke did not match the expression on his face. "No one is anything to me. You only hurt yourself if you expect anything more."

"It's okay, if I hurt… If I can only-"

"Sakura, stop saying useless things," He snapped, harshly.

"If you're brother apologized... or maybe if you kill him, will you consider me?"

"Sakura."

"I can help you, Sasuke-kun... I really will-"

It was that moment, when Sakura looked into his eyes, searching for some emotion and found sleep instead. As his eyes swirled red, Sakura fell unconscious, falling over on her side.

Sasuke bent down to let his lap absorb the soft impact of her head, as he remained motionless under the sound of the rain. His hand inched to her face, carefully - almost fearfully.

His hand studied and memorized the feel of her face, the one thing the Sharingan could never copy.

* * *

Sakura cracked her eyes open as sunlight seeped through her eye lids. 

She was an idiot… having him carry her home with two broken arms… she was such an idiot.

By the way the sun looked, the students who were heading over to the exams had already left.

She hurried her way to the hospital where she found that Tsunade stayed behind to arrange for some "emergency."

Of course Sakura knew that "emergency" was more like "Finding Uchiha a wife."


	5. Early Days: Proposal

The official announcement of the treaty had spread through the village by mid-afternoon and the hokage called on all of the possible candidates to take on the lifelong task. If no one was willing, then there should be a volunteer… probably someone like Ino… Well… Ino _was _already one of the candidates herself. Sakura had to admit, Ino was at the level of an elite shinobi herself… and was probably one of the prettiest girls in Konoha.

Maybe Ino can take the job.

As for Sakura, today was not a very good day for her.

Tsunade was moody and was on edge all day today. Naruto accidentally dumped ramen on her new pants. Sakura made frequent mistakes at the hospital, though not major ones, but enough to make Shizune squeal. If that wasn't bad enough, an elderly woman walked in with her grandson, begging Sakura to revive him. The only problem that opposed Sakura was the fact that the child was already dead.

All she needed now was a random bolt of lightening striking her down for the last blow.

All this resulted in Tsunade, telling Sakura to go home early and come back in the morning when she felt more clear-headed. Unlike everyday in her life, she had gotten an early dismissal, and she was grateful for it. Not expecting much, she walked to her apartment. Her reputation was not exactly so important that she always had to be on watch for someone to come attack her or something.

Unless Naruto was involved.

"Sakura-chan!" The blonde yelled as he came and jumped on her back as expecting a welcome piggy-back ride. Until Sakura punched him off.

"What the hell are you thinking!" Sakura yelled, irritated. The last things she needed was some blonde kid jumping on her back, which ached like hell for some reason.

"Ahh… don't be so cold…" Naruto said, massaging his now-bruised chin.

"Well… What do you want?" Sakura asked.

"I just wanted to apologize… for spilling ramen on your pants…"

"Spilling? You mean, _dumping_?"

"_Accidentally_ dumping," Naruto corrected. "Forgive me?" Naruto gave her puppy eyes.

"No."

"Damn it," He mumbled.

"Alright, I forgive you. It's nothing to worry about…" Sakura told him, which caused him to grin in satisfaction. "Is that the only reason you jumped on me?"

"Mostly because I was bored."

Oh… well _that_ was a good explanation for pissing Sakura off… but then again, Sakura could not stay mad at Naruto for more than ten minutes.

But Naruto seemed to have caught on Sakura's snappy mood. He soon, revised his answer. "Actually, I was heading over to Tsunade-baachan to see if she has any cool missions for me."

"Naruto, it's sunset." Sakura pointed out, although she knew that he was just making himself appear reasonable for jumping on her… in which no explanations were quite reasonable enough.

"Actually… I have a message from Sasuke," He said, his voice, unusually soft.

Sakura almost gasped.

"No, nothing like that," Naruto grumbled as he observed Sakura's excitement. "He told me to make sure that you know that he didn't carry you home; it was Kakashi-sensei."

Oh.

"That's it?" Sakura asked in dismay.

"Yup."

Sakura was glad that it wasn't handicapped Sasuke who carried her 10 ton body home but also a bit disappointed as well. Naruto didn't let her dwell on them, though.

"Spar with me?" Naruto asked.

Sakura considered it and then nodded. "Why not?"

So they headed towards the training ground, throwing lame jokes at each other with Sakura casually chuckling over them and Naruto doubling over in laughter over the jokes that he himself invented over the course of three seconds or less. He was easily amused, especially with himself.

Sakura always have thought that her teammates' moods were so off-balance with each other, that it was almost perfect in a strange way. As she looked at Naruto, she could see an overwhelmingly enthusiastic person that couldn't stay glum no matter what the situation was… with the exception of a few times but overall, he was like a bright sunshine. Now Sasuke on the other hand was completely opposite and closely resembled a statue. An extremely good-looking statue. A statue which sometimes displayed so much fury, that it scared her.

And Sakura herself was just… well, Sakura. Some every-day person with a neutral character and emotion.

Now Kakashi was so neutral, that his emotion seemed numb.

Naruto seemed distracted as he turned the corner to see Ichiraku in his sight, and his smile got wider for a moment. However, the smile died and his brightened mood darkened to the atmosphere of a black storm cloud.

Sakura traced Naruto's gaze and had the nearly same effect, with fear ruling over her.

Uchiha Itachi was staring at them ever so blankly.

Normally, if Naruto was replaced by any other ninja in Konoha, there would be a dangerous silence hovering the air between them but Naruto - being Naruto - would not let that happen.

"What the _hell_ do you want?" He said, fiercely.

Sakura gripped Naruto's sleeve to calm down but she knew that it was useless.

Itachi just stared at them with his piercing gaze.

Sakura swallowed hard.

He finally opened his mouth. "I see that I'm still not a welcomed person in this place," He said. That did not ease the tension. Sarcasm? They couldn't tell. "I don't want anything in particular," He said, looking at Naruto. "At least, not with you," He turned his gaze to Sakura as she made effort to not flinch.

"You… you… I'll never forgive you… for what you did to Sasuke. I don't know why you came in here, declaring peace but I don't trust you…" Naruto grinded out his words darkly.

"I don't ask you to," Itachi said calmly.

Sakura had to calm him down. Peace was at stake and she couldn't let Naruto ruin it. "Naruto," She called firmly, grabbing his shoulder. "Stop talking like that. He is… our ally now."

"Like I give a fuc -"

"Forgive him, Itachi… sama," Sakura forced a smile on her face, as she exerted enormous amount of strength on her throat to keep her voice from shaking so much. "You know how Naruto gets. It's just… it's just the fact that we're not… I guess we're not used to the fact-"

"There's nothing to forgive, Haruno Sakura." Itachi said.

Sakura looked at him, questioningly.

"I think I must ask you two to forgive me someday. Especially _you_." He was talking to her.

_Especially _her?

"What the hell are you talking about!" Naruto demanded again.

Itachi continued, unshaken by Naruto's screaming. "I want peace with Konoha, yes. But I still intend to test my strength. I would need Sasuke for that. I hope that is clear."

"SHUT UP!" Naruto screamed as he flew at him with sudden rasengan.

Itachi easily grabbed Naruto's wrist to disturb the chakra flow to stop the blue sphere from spinning anymore. And then before Sakura could even blink, he stood so close to her that she could feel him breathe. His sharingan locked her gaze. "I want to know how much I can handle, and in order for that to happen… you need to help me."

Sakura felt a cold hand on her cheek.

"Don't _fucking_ touch Sakura-chan!" Sakura heard Naruto yell but she was frozen.

Itachi walked away slowly as Sakura stared blankly into space.

"You bastard!" Naruto began chasing him, but Itachi disappeared. Naruto cursed and he trudged back to Sakura. "Sakura-chan!"

Sakura looked at Naruto. "I'm okay…" She said.

"What did he _do_ to you? " Naruto asked, angrily.

"Shh, Naruto…" Sakura patted his shoulder. "I'm fine… okay? Just confused. You'd better watch your actions, though. Whether we like it or not… he's our ally now and our treaties are important. We can't let our emotions get the better of us…"

"You say that so easily!"

"It's what we have to do," Sakura tried to smile. "Now, let's train."

Naruto dropped his head. "I don't feel like training anymore…"

"Naruto…"

Naruto slowly walked away and Sakura could do nothing more but sigh.

Sakura entered her one-room small apartment room and sank into her tiny, red couch after a day of back-breaking work in the hospital. More so because of the things she dealt with than the job itself.

Most of the people in the village thought this was some kind of a practical joke that Tsunade always planned on pulling whenever her mischievous mind led her to it. But when they saw no hint of jocular intent in her voice, they were just shocked. Half of them probably mentally passed out. Sakura herself almost flinched even though she heard about it first hand.

However, the treaty would go on as planned and Tsunade and Shizune was busy looking for a possible candidate that could handle someone like Itachi. They needed someone cunning, powerful, yet beautiful to maybe keep Itachi intact.

Honestly, to Sakura, the first two requirements made sense but the last requirement probably didn't mean anything to Itachi. It had the same effect whether Itachi was next to a fat and pimply girl or next to someone like Ino who would shamelessly wear nothing in front of him.

So there was another way to recognize Sasuke and Itachi as brothers: the general disinterest in girls. That disappointed Sakura somewhat, but the situation didn't allow her to mope around for that particular reason; she had more important things to worry about.

The official "choosing" of the girl, or the _wife_ rather, was two weeks from now. The girls who were chosen had about a week and a half - a rather short time period - to think about their future with a S-class criminal. It started with seventeen girls, with two of them rejecting the idea first hand, leaving fifteen from which Itachi could choose from.

_Much__ like __choosing __what __flavor __candy __he __wanted __to __taste __in __that __moment, _Sakura thought.Picturing Uchiha Itachi, idly picking candies in a glass jar was an amusing thought, but Sakura was too tense to laugh about it.

One of the candidates was obviously Ino, and the others were people that Sakura never really had a close relationship with. Hinata was chosen too, of course, her reasoning more reasonable than Ino's (because of her Hyuuga abilities) but she was taken out after Naruto's hysterical screaming for thinking of such a future for her. Some other girl that dropped out just wasn't interested in _men _in which Tsunade respected that decision.

Actually, Sakura wondered if Uchiha brothers were interested in _women_ at all.

Bad train of thought…

On a different note, it was amazing how much effect the two Uchiha had on her. One with the words that were never spoken and the other with the words that were confusingly spoken.

_Stupid__ brothers __with __their__ stupid __black__ hair and the __stupid __sharingan __with bottled up stupid__ emotions - __or __rather __the __lack__ of - __and __their __stupid __grudge__ against __each __other…_

God, what if _she_ had to marry him?

Although she wasn't among the candidates, an irrational fear of Itachi just rebelliously choosing _her_ was clawing at her mind like a mad cat trying to get to a mouse just beyond its reach. Sakura knew that Tsunade would not even consider it for a second even if Itachi begged but her mind was a strange thing. No matter how many times she reassured herself, the thoughts came back to haunt her. She felt… simply dumb. Why would Itachi even…

She sank deeper into the couch.

She missed Sasuke a lot, although, it hadn't even been a day since he was gone on the Chuunin Exams. Sasuke still had two broken arms, almost-healed ribs, and stitches, but Sasuke, being Sasuke, would never let that delay him any longer to becoming at least a Chuunin. He himself was once an S-class criminal for crying out loud…

As much as she wanted him back, larger part of her wished he'd never return to hear of this treaty with his forlorn brother.

How could anyone explain this situation to Sasuke with words he could understand? Scratch that, Sasuke was a genius and understanding a situation was never an issue for him. To be able to accept it without attempted sibling-murder, however, was another thing. He'd rather commit a homicide and then a suicide than to accept his brother as an ally.

And as smart as he was, all reasons and logic seemed to escape him whenever his only brother was around. What exactly was the use of his head and intelligence when both of them were plunged to the ground and replaced with blind hatred whenever he stood before his goal? And of his concern for his body… He never seemed to care enough about it. Wouldn't he need it to be in the top-physical shape when facing Itachi?

What was he thinking, entering the Chuunin Exam in a condition like that?

What was _she _thinking when she signed the release form?

_Why_ was she even thinking about this?

If Sasuke attempted to kill Itachi, that would be a huge problem.

* * *

Two weeks later, the treaty between Konoha and Akatsuki will officially be sealed. 

Which happened to be today.

Sakura knew that this was an important enough day to actually care about the way she looked but she was too tired and was too late. She roughly washed her hair and rubbed on deodorants to cover any possible stench she carried with her since yesterday. Not a very hygienic thing for a young lady her age but if there was one exception that always worked, it was the fact that she was a ninja.

Real ninjas don't care much about hygiene as long as the stench is not distractingly and noticeably unbearable.

Or at least, that was the excuse she was going to use.

Sakura couldn't decide whether it was a good thing or a bad thing that Sasuke and the other Chuunin exam people were not back yet. She roughly estimated that the students were probably in the semi-final rounds of the third combat-phased portion of the exam. Which meant that they would be back within a week.

She just hoped that Sasuke didn't completely break his arm off due to her own damn stupidity.

She straightened her clothes out and stood in front of the mirror, checking for wrinkles or stains that would not be presentable to this… sacred ceremony.

When she found none, she paced out the door, locking it behind her.

There were fifteen girls, lined up with bright, flashy kimonos, looking beautiful and young under the shining sunlight.

Itachi appeared on the other side of them, eyeing them all with the same disinterest. His eyes flashed by Sakura, as Sakura quickly shifted her gaze to the floor.

Tsunade forced a smile on her face which was stern from anxiety and the result of two elements left an unexplainable expression on her face. She announced the occasion of the event as formally as possible before turning to Itachi. "Well, here they are," Tsunade said, her casual words formed from her habit and the tenseness in her voice formed from an unwanted decision. "Choose well… I guess…" Even now, uncertainty glinted in her brown eyes.

The girls have been warned but they all agreed to the terms and promised their best to… be a loyal enough wife until he tried to do something against the village.

They _were _all shinobi after all.

Itachi didn't move a muscle. He slowly turned his gaze from Tsunade and let his eyes scan about, fleeting from one girl to the other. But in the end, his indifferent pool of black returned to Tsunade and he shook his head.

The girls in line shifted about, confused, and a bit offended.

Whispers rippled across the crowds as Tsunade looked on Itachi as if she would break him in half.

"A little unfair, don't you think?" Itachi asked calmly. His eyes did not falter under her medusa-like glare.

"What?"

"As you see, we agreed on a fair treaty. Yet you are not giving your best one, I see."

"What are you talking about, Itachi?" Tsunade growled. "Are you saying that none of these girls suit your taste or something?"

Itachi shook his head again. "No. I don't exactly have a taste. But I _do _have a person in mind."

He may as well have said it was raining, because it was not. He may as well have said that the world would end tomorrow, because it wouldn't. But what he _did_ say was that he had a person in mind and no one could have guessed.

Tsunade gaped on air as Sakura was doing, much like the people that currently populated the ceremony in lack of response. But the confusion turned into an intense curiosity. Sakura as well as others burned to know who this dry man had in mind.

"Then speak. Who will it be?" Tsunade urged on.

Itachi looked among the crowds and his eyes narrowed and seemingly smiled when he spotted Sakura.

Sakura swallowed hard and tried to stand up straight as his eyes probed her. She thought she was imagining things. But she felt a hand of death slap her shoulder as she looked straight into his eyes.

"Her. Haruno Sakura. She must be the one."


	6. Early Days: Enemy

Tsuande remained calm although Sakura could see that her hands have clenched into a tight fist. She looked at Itachi as if he jabbed her stomach with his elbow and figuratively, he had.

Itachi stood there without any expression to stare at. There he was, calm and silent after causing a wave of confusion that swept across everyone that stood under the ever shining sun that smiled upon their troubled minds.

Sakura at first, could not breathe even if her own future depended on it. Yes, she heard Itachi's certain request but it took her the long moments without the air to realize what he had actually said. When she figured out that she wasn't breathing, she began to breath again but the air was so quiet, tense and still that she was afraid that people could hear her and stare at her. But they were all staring at her anyway. The reason why they were all so stunned was because of_ her _anyway.

_I want to know how much I can handle, and in order for that to happen… you need to help me. _Itachi's words played in her head and the gravity of it sunk into her like water into a dry sponge.

Finally, Tsunade spoke. "Explain yourself."

Itachi turned his eyes to Tsunade. "I do not remember questioning you when you asked for my ring," He said.

"This is a different matter than a_ ring,_" Tsunade snarled. "Do you realize who you're asking for? She is an apprentice to me and the future of our medical world. I need a reason,_ now._" Tsunade's demand was clearly strained from effort of keeping it steady for the sake of her people's courage. She was, after all, the leader of the village.

As much as those words meant a lot to Sakura, from a teacher that rarely complemented her, this was not a very appropriate time to feel warm and fuzzy and proud inside. In fact, the words bypassed her brain and she only found herself looking intently at Itachi, waiting for an answer. _Yes __Itachi…__Why __must __it__ be __me?_

Itachi smirked, and smirk was never a good sign, especially on someone who had as much personality as an unplugged toaster.

The fact that Uchiha Itachi actually made a noticeable expression left Sakura - and everyone else in that matter - more uneasy than when he did not show anything at all. A sudden dramatic change of action - in which a simple thing as a smirk in Itachi's case - usually aroused suspicion and what Itachi said next in an attempt to calm the suspicion basically threw his audiences in a pit of utter disbelief. "What reason have I in needing someone? It is either Sakura or no one else. Since this is a treaty, I don't believe that…" He turned to Sakura now, "_You _have much of a choice."

"Sakura!" Tsunade called, with a vicious edge in her voice. "Say it! Say that you won't!"

"I'm afraid that would break the treaty," Itachi said.

"He's right, Tsunade-sama, let-"

"Shut up!" Tsunade cut Shizune's words as she kept her angry brown eyes fixed on the pink-haired girl. "Sakura," She called, more calmly this time but the level of her anger was still the same and if not, it was building with each and every passing second. "Speak, Sakura. There is no way we can put you in to this… unless… No, just say _no_, Sakura." Tsunade finally took Sakura's decision into this matter and decided to look at her and obviously was not satisfied by the expression on her apprentice's face of pure confusion.

Sakura's voice seemed to be defunct. There was no way that she could utter a word at this moment. The pressure was too great. She felt as if she was going to collapse but the inner Sakura inside her threatened to kill herself if she did such a thing.

Itachi smirked, yet again. "Hesitating, Haruno Sakura?" He said, quietly. And before anyone could stop him or even blink, he was next to her, breathing against her neck. "Why would you? Would rejecting me draw Sasuke any closer to you? He's sworn vengeance upon me that even you can't break. He won't stop and look at you as long as I live."

Tears threatened to escape her.

"Will you be a traitor to the village for a boy who's never going to look at you?" He whispered.

Her hands became clenched into a tight fist. But whether she was angry or not, what Itachi was saying was true.

"YOU GET THE _HELL_ AWAY FROM HER!" A voice exploded among the crowd. It was Naruto. "I DIDN'T GIVE UP ON SAKURA-CHAN SO YOU COULD LAY YOUR DIRTY HANDS ON HER!!" With that, blue sphere began to glow in his palm.

Kakashi rushed over and grabbed his angry subordinate. "Naruto, calm down." He said firmly.

"But that_ bastard_-"

"Naruto," Sakura called him with at least the equal firmness of Kakashi. She regained her posture as she was taught and leaned away from Itachi.

Turbulent storms were crashing inside of her head and everywhere else, in fact. She wished that someone would be here to help her out. But this was the truth: the deal had been finalized that whoever Itachi would claim would be final with or without anyone's approval. That was Itachi's right after giving up his ring and accepting the conditions of the treaty. She knew this. Kakashi knew this, and the entire village knew this.

Sasuke… if he was so desperate to claim her, he'd be here.

But he was away.

Far away.

Farther away than anyone could ever imagine.

All the attention in the place were focused back on Sakura. Her arms were trembling as all her strength were concentrated on forming a tighter fist. Her fingers dug into the palm of her hand. She was biting her lip so hard that blood trickled down her chin and stained her medic uniform. But her voice was constrained and final. "Don't cause a ruckus, Naruto… Tsunade-shishou… it's shameful to the village."

"Sakura," Tsunade called, her voice swept over with anguish.

"Itachi-sama," Sakura called. How she hated him…

He didn't reply. But the way he looked at her, with his dark eyes relaxed and expecting an answer he already knew… He knew her decision.

The duty of a kunoichi was heavy. Maybe more so than a male shinobi, a lot of the times. Not only was she expected to sacrifice her body, but also her love and her soul.

That was what she swore upon a kunai when she attended the first day of the Ninja Academy.

That was the code she lived by. Though in pain and sorrow, her duty must be completed, even if it meant that her heart will build up a deeper wound everyday. Even if her heart would be lacerated until it was torn into many pieces.

"Konohagakure will accept the terms of the treaty. I, Haruno Sakura, is promised… to you."

* * *

No one spoke to her. 

Actually, the better way to describe how her friends treated her is to say that they were avoiding her. Shizune was with Tsunade, and Ino tried her best not to make eye contact with Sakura. All other medic team only spoke to Ino, assuming that it would eventually reach Sakura if it was important. Although Ino was trying not to make eye contact, Sakura could still feel that Ino was gazing at her with both envy and worry.

This however, was a relief to Sakura who already had things to think about without anyone having to remind her. It wasn't like she had a voice to speak with anyone right now anyway.

It took more than the extendible limit that was allowed on her body to declare that she was to be the wife of a criminal in front of everyone she knew. Although the treaty was sealed the moment Itachi pointed straight towards Sakura, speaking her own future took more willpower than imaginable. It was as if she was a prisoner, reading line-by-line the methods of torture that she'll go through.

Her day of work finally ended and she exited the building to go home.

The night was cool and the streets were nearly empty.

Someone poked her.

Sakura turned to see Naruto.

"You should put this ointment on your lip, Sakura-chan… You were bleeding earlier," He said, smiling, and handed her a small tube containing ointment.

Sakura numbly applied the substance where it stung.

Silence hung in the air until Naruto said, "I'll walk you home."

"You don't have to."

"I know."

She wished he hadn't offered to do so. She couldn't appreciate Naruto's kindness then, because all she wanted was to be alone. She wanted to cry. Right now, Naruto was just one another person who kept her from bursting into tears. If she doesn't cry soon, she knew she'd faint or something. Holding it in while he was right next to her was a trial like no other.

Naruto tried to start a light conversation to lighten the mood but Sakura either ignored him or gave him a curt answer that led to no further conversations. He gave up altogether after a while. But he spoke again when Sakura was about to enter her apartment building.

"Sakura-chan."

"What is it, Naruto?" Sakura was surprised at how choked and tired she sounded.

"Well, about what happened… Sasuke," He stopped short for a moment.

Sakura said nothing.

"He doesn't know anything yet. What-"

"Naruto," Sakura sternly cut him off. "Please… just… go…"

He was looking at her.

But she couldn't meet his gaze.

He walked away and Sakura ran as fast as she could to her room. No one was to see her cry, and crying was what she was planning to do for the entire day now.

She reached her apartment and fitted the key in the slot. The lock seemed to be stuck because no matter how much she twisted, it would not budge. In a fit of rage, she forcefully turned the key and the handle broke off and flew across the hall, hit the wall and made a visible dent before hitting the ground with a noisy clang.

Frustration mixed with her gloominess made her want to punch the nearest thing - which was the door - but she still had a bit of sanity left in her. She leaned against her door and sank to the floor.

_Uchiha Sasuke…_

A name she had to forget…

She was now an existence that opposed the one she loved the most.

She cried tonight, but she didn't make a sound.

No one was to hear her cry tonight. Not any night. She was to be married. She was to be a wife. Marriage is the climax of a girl's life. She shouldn't be crying, she shouldn't be longing for anything but the day of the marriage to draw nearer.

But no one will see her like this, for she was to be married. An engaged girl does not cry; she rejoices.

A shinobi cannot cry about a mission.

But Sakura, at this moment, felt nothing like a bride or a shinobi. She just felt like herself.

Just a girl she was born as.

* * *

"Geez, how did you manage to break the key? This happened before, but not like_ this _and you'd better pay up on repairing that dent on the wall," The manager dragged on, irritated, some-what angry, but a bit puzzled as well. "Which won't be much… Anyway, use a giant lock for tonight and tomorrow. It will take that long to install a new door knob and the new key," He told her. 

"Really? It would take that long?" Sakura questioned, with her voice flat and disinterested.

This caught the manager off-guard as he noticed that she was only half-listening ever since he began talking. The utter lack of emotion told him that she was suppressing something but it wasn't his place to ask her such a private question. He knew and she knew.

It was late-morning right now, folding into noon.

Sakura had been here for a short time, but the looks of her aroused so many suspicion in such a short span of time, she may as well, have set up a record.

Her hair was tousled and un-brushed. Her clothes were untidy and messy and her face was red, puffy, and irritated as if she'd been crying but no tear-streaks were there to prove the last remark. There_ better _had not be. She spent painful amount of time, trying to scrub them off with the sleeve of her shirt.

"Did you spend the night outside in the hall?" The manager asked her, now with some-what more sympathy than before. "Why not break the door open? You were capable of it…" He mumbled, much to her oblivion to his words.

Sakura only curtly nodded before telling him a quick "Thanks," and left him to ponder on his own. He did not need to know what was occupying her thoughts right now.

No one needed to know.

She walked back into her room, her hands conveniently in her pocket the entire time, nudging past her door which no longer required any hands for it to open. She closed the door with her leg and with her hands still playing in her pocket, she went into her kitchen and sat blankly on a chair.

She knew that Tsunade would wonder where her favorite pupil had gone but skipping her work today would be forgiven and forgotten for now. Probably, no one wanted to see her at the hospital anyway. Who was_ she_ to ruin everyone else's mood with her own heavy and worn atmosphere?

All people deserved to be at least some-what happy and one person's misery should not be a contributing factor to other's inconvenience. She was taught that ever since she was young. It had been difficult, yes, and since _this _was more difficult than any other she was challenged with before, she kindly gave up on showing her face to her comrades. Yesterday had not been a generous experience on anyone; not on her, not on the nurses, or the patients, to brood with her on her own overwhelming misery.

God_ damn,_ she hated being sad.

She ran out of tears to cry at least three hours ago. Other than the last fifteen minutes she was lightly "conversing" with the manager of her apartment, she was trying to get some shut-eye rather than sleeping. It probably wouldn't have lasted anyway.

She was struck with thirst but hesitated on drinking a glass of water, wondering if that would replenish the supply of tears again. That would be annoying. But her throat was parched and the hesitation was only brief before she chugged sown one glass after another.

Her stomach chilled and responded in numb-pain at the sudden rush of water, but her throat felt much better. If her tears began flowing again, she would have punched herself. Instead, she climbed into her bed, laying off her shoes, unable to keep her eyes closed for long.

She was going to be married.

She tossed around in discomfort and to her dismay, she found it impossible to get comfortable. Each of her positions were "bearable" for half-a-minute and she tossed around again. If she had more energy left in her, her bed would have been splintered. But at least the bed was attempting to offer some solace to her, though it was futile. Her mind was pitted against turmoil and her body was not helping with the extreme awareness that told her: she needed a bath. But her body was also being a bitch and made it difficult to move.

She spun towards the wall and when she violently turned back towards the opposite direction, she saw someone familiar, toying with her door, no longer able to keep anyone out with the lack of a knob.

"What happened to your door?" Kakashi asked, examining the perfect hole intended for the knob.

Sakura didn't answer him. He wasn't here to ask her about the mysteries of her door missing a knob and she felt no need to waste her energy on things that did not matter to her. At least, not at the moment.

"Well," Kakashi sighed. "At least you didn't break the entire door or anything…"

She still didn't stir in her bed and turned her eyes away from him, attempting to close them, just to open them back up after a short while.

Kakashi sat on the floor besides the bed as the awkward silence progressed further into the state of ignoring each other… well, at least, _Sakura_ seemed to be ignoring him. It was impossible for _him _to ignore one of his favorite kunoichi who was currently in very much sadness. He had to say it; she had to know. Sakura wasn't the one to come to her sensei and complain about boys but she never needed to. Things between her and Sasuke were so obvious that it was near-impossible to mistake it. "Sakura," He called. "He's back, you know. Sasuke is."

Spark of panic coursed through her veins as she felt as if her blanket was filled with cold air. Her eyes grew wider as she began to be painfully aware of her cold fingertips. Her emerald eyes stared into Kakashi's one black ones as if she was clinging onto the only sanity she had left.

"He returned yesterday. He knows."

These simple words drove an invisible stake into her heart. But what did she expect? He couldn't_ not_ know… Itachi was his _brother_ after all… and she was… she was… well, at least a friend.

"Sensei…" She called out, her voice losing energy.

"Sakura, are you sure about this? We can try to convince Itachi to-"

Sakura shook her head. Tears crept into her eyes again. "It's no use… it's no use…" She mumbled, silently damning the water she consumed. She pulled the blanket over her head. She would_ not_ let her sensei see her cry. _Rule __number__ 25:__ A__ ninja__ should__ never __show __his__/her __tears_. It was clearly written on the textbook she memorized as an obligation. The textbook she memorized so Sasuke would notice her.

Somehow or another, she always found herself breaking that rule. Over and over again and the cause was Sasuke, Naruto, and more Sasuke.

Sakura did best she could do to muffle her sobs but Kakashi knew. He laid a gentle hand on her covered head and patted her. "Be strong, Sakura. I know you are," He told her.

He turned to leave but Sakura called him. "Kakashi-sensi…"

"Hm?"

"Will you please… with your sharingan… Please put me to sleep…" She pleaded.

Kakashi sighed. It wouldn't be natural if she would fall asleep with her current state of mind. Slowly, he lifted his head-band to allow the gentle hypnotization take place. When she fell asleep almost immediately, he gathered her limp arms and head in the proper position and firmly pulled the blanket over her. Then he turned around to leave her alone. The best remedy for her right now was to sleep as if tomorrow would never come. So he left, placing a chair to hold the loose door shut.

When she came by, the sky was dark with moon illuminating little light. She was surprised at the fact that she slept through the entire day but was almost thankful that she had done so. Now that she was awake, she could no longer delay her shower.

When she casually glanced over to her door, there was a chair holding back the door. She made a mental note to thank Kakashi later. Depressed or not, having a dysfunctional door that could easily be opened by anyone was a strange thought, so she stacked some heavy volumes of books on top of the chair and laid weights down besides the chair. When she was sure that half of her assets were laid by the door, she nodded approvingly, proud for no reason whatsoever.

She would just enter and exit through the window until the knob was back. Funny, how a little thing such as a knob would impact her other possessions. It was as if the Lords of castles were standing watch at the gate when a guard dies. She crumpled up a piece of paper as she walked towards the door and shoved it in the round hole where the knobs used to be. Just in case.

Only then, did she trudge into the bathroom, where she securely locked the door, a thing she had never done before missing knobs. She partially undressed when her eyes scanned past the mirror and she had to do a horrified double-take at her face.

Her exceptionally pretty face, once healthy-looking with flawless complexion and fair tone was now almost unrecognizable with sunken eyes marred by dark circles, emphasized by her severe lack of cheeks and color. Her green eyes stared at itself miserably as self-pity consumed her. The reflection was of a girl she no longer knew as her own. For a good five minutes, she did absolutely nothing but stand there, brooding in her despair but she couldn't stay a statue forever.

She stood still as hot water rained over her. If water could wash away time, hatred, love, choices… If everything had been different…

If she wasn't who she was…

If she had a single wish come true, she would know what to wish for.

Her hair was drenched as streams of water veiled over her. Her hands were slowly rubbing over her face as to comfort herself. Occasionally, she felt hot tears peeping out from between her sealed eyelids and making itself known to her hands. She didn't need to know if she was crying again.

She questioned fate so much that it was no longer an option, she hated fate so much that she simply wanted to disappear, and she feared her fate so much, that the heat of the water only reached skin-deep. Fear and contempt churned inside of her and was taking over her until she just… wanted to stop.

* * *

Two days later, Sakura was called into Tsunade's office. 

The hokage paced about in frustration, and by the dark circles under her eyes, she had been sleeping as well as Sakura had the past few days. When Sakura entered the building, her concerned eyes studied Sakura for any signs of illness but her mouth said none of them. "Oh, Sakura, finally, it's you. Sit down. I have things to discuss."

She did as she was told.

Tsuande looked at her. "How are you feeling?" She asked.

"I'm sorry, shishou… I've been lacking in my hospital duties…"

"Forget it," Tsunade snapped. "I'd rather have a robot as company than you these couple of days," She said, but the concern in her voice betrayed the thorn of her words.

Sakura stirred in her chair.

Tsunade sighed. "As much as I hate to tell you… Itachi had come by… and we set up the date."

Sakura expected that Tsunade had called for this reason. But hearing it made her heart sink lower than it already was.

"Three days," Tsunade continued against her will. "The wedding will take place in three days," She spat out the words as if she had been chewing on dirt.

"I understand, shishou," Sakura said, as confidently as she could but it was a façade. She knew and her shishou knew. Even Itachi knew. He knew, the best of them all.

Sakura closed the door behind her, now with knobs. Locking it behind her, she slid down to the floor, sighing so deeply that she almost began to cry again.

Three days…

_Three_ days…

Three _fucking _days…

She buried her face in her palms and sat there like that until she felt a presence about the room. A shadow was looming by her bed and when she turned the light on to reveal who it was, she thought she was going to die of heart-failure.

He was leaning by the wall so casually, that this might as well have been his home, and Sakura the unwilling hostage. Everything about him was relaxed and lazy; only his dark eyes looked at her as if he was going to burn a hold through her.

She hopelessly gazed upon his cold beauty, trying to find words to say, but couldn't. The word she was_ trying_ to say was "Sorry." The words that were prying at her tightly closed lips were worthless declarations of love. But at last, neither prevailed as she could only manage to gasp out his name. "Sasuke-kun…"

His face cringed a bit when he heard his name whispered out of her lips but he said nothing. His eyes were intensely on her, but she couldn't read what emotion he was trying to display with his intensity. Most-likely anger. Maybe a bit of sadness… For the life of her, she could not tell.

But at last, he broke the gaze and looked down to the floor. "I misjudged you," He said, and when he looked at her this time, the intensity was gone. Only serene, hollow pool of black looked at her.

Sakura bit her lip. _I__ know_, Sakura thought. _I __know __that __I've __told__ you __that__ I'd__ love __you __forever…__I__ know __I__ lied, _She reasoned in her head.

"I never thought you would take up your duty before your feelings, I'm impressed." He told her.

What he said struck her like lightning. Out of all the things he _could _have said… She would rather have him angry at her for lying. For betraying. Why was he being so calm? It should have hurt him. She _knew_ it should have. But his black eyes gave away nothing of that sort.

"I've always thought your head was filled with useless things like romance and such. I would have never thought that you would take up your responsibilities as ninja and forsake those needless bonds. I am almost proud of you," He told her, each beautiful sound of his voice, lashing at her raw, wounded heart.

Proud? _Proud?_ How could he be _proud_?

Ever since she laid her eyes on him, she's wanted to make him proud of her. She worked and studied vigilantly day and night to score the highest on her exams for his approval. She became the most brilliant student in her class for his approval. She would have climbed thousand mountains and crossed thousand rivers if he would nod to her. When she had sacrificed everything in the attempt to make him proud of her, he would scoff and turn the other way.

Now he was looking at her with tranquil eyes, telling her that he was proud of her for betraying him.

"God_damn_ you!" Sakura suddenly yelled.

He did not move, but his eyes followed her as she stormed in front of him, but stopped as if she was afraid of touching him.

"Why won't you slap me or something, or at least call me a_ whore_?! Why do you have to be _proud _of me for marrying the person you hate? Why don't you tell me that you _hate _me?!" As much as Sakura never wanted any of these to happen, any of the mentioned things were better than _this_.

"As a friend, I am glad that you've made the right choice," He said, almost warmly.

A _friend_.

"And there isn't anything between us for me to throw any insults at you," Sasuke continued.

_So __true…_

Sakura closed her eyes as another set of tears rolled down her cheek. "Kiss me," She pleaded.

Sasuke looked at her. "Don't be foolish."

"Just once."

"I don't kiss my enemy's wife ."

"I am _not_!" Sakura cried indignantly. "I'm just Sakura right now." She reached out to him, hesitantly taking his face in her hand.

For a brief moment, he closed his eyes, savoring the brush of her soft hand against his cheek, but he turned away from her and walked past her towards the door. "You are Itachi's betrothed. It's all you are to me right now," He said, with a voice that barely masked raw hatred that Sakura's knees gave out.

She watched as he made his way towards the door and opened it.

When she blinked once to clear her vision of tears, the door was closed and she couldn't even hear his gentle footsteps gliding away from her room.

* * *

I know, she cries a lot... but oh well... I 'd cry alot too if I was in her situation... Bear with me even if the excessive crying is annoying :P And as always, thank you! 


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